Digitally enabled telephones and other connected devices, including cellular telephones, so called “smart phones”, Java enabled phones and VoIP telephones (telephones which communicate through the “Voice over IP” protocol, also known as Internet telephones) are all able to communicate with a server. Unlike simple analog telephones, this ability to communicate with a server increases the variety and type of services which may be offered through such telephones. For example, one type of service which may be offered is the ability to synchronize data with a server.
In order to support such synchronization, various protocols and standards are known, including the Open Mobile Alliance Data Synchronization (OMA DS) protocol. This standard, which is also known as SyncML (its former name), defines a protocol for a platform-independent information synchronization. SyncML is most commonly thought of as a method to synchronize contact and calendar information (PIM) between some type of handheld device and a computer (personal, or network-based service), such as between a mobile phone and a personal computer or a server.
However, such synchronization is typically pre-set and predetermined according to one or more functions available on the server or personal computer. It does not permit any type of flexible functionality; for example, it does not permit the user to seek new types of information and to add this new information to the digitally enabled telephone, quickly and easily.
Furthermore, existing solutions offer protocols and software for downloading data and/or other content to a mobile communication device. Data retrieval is different, as is downloading content to mobile communication devices. The latter requires special advance pre-processing and production to be ready to download and currently cannot be done “on the fly” or “spontaneously”.